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Friday March 29, 2024

PML-Q, GDA oppose steps by caretaker govt, ECP for polls

By Asim Yasin
June 22, 2018

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) Thursday expressed dissatisfaction over the measures of the caretaker government and Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for free, fair and transparent elections in the country, saying that measures of ECP and caretaker government are not going towards fair elections and inter-provincial transfers are must for ensuring free, fair and transparent elections.

“For making election transparent inter-provincial transfers should be made, officials recruited by previous government should be removed from polling duty so that history of 2013 rigged elections cannot not be repeated,” said President PML-Q and former prime minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain along with GDA leaders Pir Sahib of Pagara Pir Sibghatullah Shah and Ghous Ali Shah while addressing a joint press conference here Thursday.

Shujaat said the entire administration and polling staff had been recruited by Sharif family in these circumstances fair and transparent elections are not possible. He said that in 2013 election measures for rigging were taken and anywhere in the world candidates were not stopped from going into the polling station.

Former deputy prime minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi said that situation in Punjab was not different from Sindh, as Sharif family had governed Punjab for 10 years and they had posted officers of their choice in Punjab. “The entire administration is of Sharif family, transparent and fair elections are not possible in the presence of Sharif family, we are talking about the policy made by Sharif family while 2013 elections were rigged and elections like that are not acceptable to us,” he said, adding that such elections will cause chaos in the country.

He said first of all officers of one province should be transferred and posted in other provinces as in the presence of all of them transparent elections will not be possible. Chief of GDA Pir Sahib Pagara said, “Chaudhry Sahib has called us from Karachi to Islamabad, we are ready for next elections but if 2018 elections are held like previous elections then the country will suffer. “We had gone to the court against elections, new elections have come but petition regarding old election has not yet been decided,” he said.

He said they had no faith in the present election as officers of smaller districts are being posted on big posts, so do not expect free, fair and transparent elections being held in the prevailing situation. “How we should believe that next election will be transparent as in 2013 the PPP had lost the election and Functional League seats were given to PPP,” he said.

He said the transparent elections are not expected from the caretaker government unless some officers should be brought in Sindh from Punjab, Balochistan and KPK. Former chief minister Syed Ghous Ali Shah said that in Sindh, DC of Shikarpur had been posted in Khairpur and if the elections were not transparent then there was no benefit of these postings.

He said the solidarity of the country lies in holding of transparent election, till changes are brought in bureaucracy transparent elections will not take place, “We are putting forward our reservations ahead of elections, army is also deploying its 350,000 personal for fair elections for which we are grateful to them.“ He said, “We want that such civil officers should be posted who have no links with political parties; this will guarantee fair and transparent elections.”